Australia are the World Champions and deservedly so. Their clinical display in the final showcased a well-balanced cricket team with strength in every department; except what comes out of their mouths.
Once again deliberate, unsporting and unnecessary abuse of opposition players has overshadowed a magnificent win and captured worldwide headlines.
Cricket is a competitive game and occasionally tempers can fray. Furthermore, amusement can be derived from witty banter.
But is there a team anywhere in the world at any time in history that deliberately seeks to intimidate and distract the opposition through relentless and classless personal abuse?
Sledging was rampant as early as the 1974-75 Ashes series.
Tom Graveney wrote, “It was an open secret that [Ian Chappell] used to encourage his players to give a lot of verbal abuse to rival batsman when they were at the wicket in an attempt to break their concentration.”
In 1974 New Zealand batsman Glenn Tuner was sledged by the Australians because he was married to an Indian woman.
In 1995 there was nearly a fight between Steve Waugh and Curtly Ambrose.
In 2009 Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds behaved like petulant schoolboys, accusing one another of being racist.
In 2013 Michael Clarke threatened to break James Anderson’s arm.
In 2014 Faf du Plessis compared Australia’s on-field conduct to a pack of dogs.
Sledging in the Australia cricket team appears to be a pre-requisite, a code of honour. Brad Haddin, Merv Hughes, Denis Lillie, Ian Chappell, Glenn McGrath, David Warner and Shane Warne, to name a few, all abused their opposition.
Apparently it’s a part of the game and they’re all good blokes.
The great sports teams of the world – the All Blacks, Real Madrid, the New England Patriots – have built a fabled record. Of course they have been involved in some controversial and unfortunate moments, but have they built a legacy of success while sounding like coarse bogans?
Sledging of course happens in other sports. Harry Jones in his excellent piece about sledging quoted an American study that suggested male athletes encounter or dish out a sledge in about one-third of athletic contests (and it is relatively constant across sports). But does it have the sinister, historical and cynical overtures of the Australian cricket team?
Todd Shand
Guest
Last year, Warner (clearly Australia’s worst behaved player) was the only Aussie to be reprimanded by the ICC for on field behaviour. Look at the list of players reported by ICC for on field behaviour last year (not including slow over rates fines): SL (5) – Kumar Sangakarra, Dinesh Chandimal, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Malinga, Thisara Perera England (4) – Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad, Ravi Bopara, James Anderson South Africa (4) – Morne Morkel, Faf du Plessis, Vernon Philander, Dean Elgar India (4) – Ravid Jadeja, Kohli, Dhawan, Ishant Bang (2) – Shakib al Hasan, Al Amin Hossain Zimbabwe (2) – Chatara, Mazakada New Zealand (2) – Tim Southee, Adam Milne Pakistan (1) – Misbah Afghan (1) – Dawlat Zadran Pakistan (1) – Ajmal Windies (1) – Darren Bravo Australia (1) – David Warner So Australia had ONE player reported for on-field behaviour last year compared to 5 for SL, 4 for each of SA, England and India, and 2 for NZ. That kind of challenges the narrative that many cricket followers push of Australia being by far the worst behaved side.
Fight fair.
Guest
Maybe it's your job to give your kids something to aspire to.
Fight fair.
Guest
The Piont is if your going to give an Aussie bowler a serve for doing it then to be fair you should do the same for any bowler that does it.
Prosenjit
Guest
What about the infamous british soccer 'hooligans'?they've ashamed england in many a place in the world.
Johnny Boy Jnr
Guest
The fact you fail to recognise it is shameful. Kiwi crowds at rugby internationals have been an utter disgrace. Look at your own backyard before casting stones. Ignorance is bliss it seems further south
Prosenjit
Guest
Sir don was shocked with match fixing too..and this is such an era when a top boss of the great gentlemen's game he played is being investigated for such muck..and another boss openly accuses a world cup match to have been fixed.different times and money speaks loudly nowadays..too often louder than honesty.
Gazza
Guest
Ronan take off your green and gold glasses mate ,it's obvious to the world that the Aussies sledge like crazy and by their own admission love it and are great at it and quite proud of it,so why protect them or want "concrete proof" . Just watch any game and you can see the Aussies being sledgers and abusing players.
Ruckin' Oaf
Guest
I'll betcha Paul Carozza was glad Richard Loe didn't use any bad words while breaking his nose too.
Prosenjit
Guest
Lindsay, though vettori hadn't announced the retirement before the match,some aussies guessed it and wished him all the best after he was cleaned up by mj.somehow you interpreted it all wrong.
Lindsay Amner
Roar Guru
Yep and this I why I don't play cricket in Australia any more. I am the most competitive person out there but telling a dismissed batsman to go f**k himself is not part of the game in my book. If that's how it's meant to be played I don't want to play it
trigger
Guest
Just to pour a bit of water on the often said justification for the Australian cricketers carrying on like sledging pratts for the last 30 years a quote from Don Bradman “I played under Alan Kippax in New South Wales for some time, I played under Jack Ryder in the Test series in 28-29, I played under Bill Woodfull in 1930 until he retired, and I captained the side until I retired. And in the whole of that time, I don’t recall one single incident of sledging. It never occurred, and it would not have occurred because it would not have been allowed, not one of those captains would have allowed it. If it had happened under me I would have given the fellow one warning, and if it had happened again I would have made sure he was not selected again…. it never went on in my day, not at all, and I don’t think it should happen now.” Don Bradman
Jerry
Guest
"(which shamefully has now inspired other crowds)" You seriously think NZ crowd's began that? You're dreaming.
Lindsay Amner
Roar Guru
So why does it continue after the batsman is out? This is actily the only thing I object to. Michael clarke was out on Sunday playing his last ODI. Several New Zealanders ran across to shake his hand. Daniel Vettori was out on Sunday playing what was clearly going to be his last ODI and several Australians told him to f**k off. There's a considerable difference in class.
Phantom
Roar Rookie
At last the Australians have won something
Phantom
Roar Rookie
Doubt it.
Kingo
Guest
Poor persecuted Aussies ,gee they cop a hard time for being labelled sledges. Happens because they are ugly and do it all the time .Pathetic IMO . You can't have it both ways there Ronan,love the sledging Aussies then try to protect them from criticism .
Prosenjit
Guest
Let me tell you kohli and riaz have turned into heros in india n pakistan respectively for their 'fighting spirit' and giving it on the field.kohli is the next captain and some pakistani ex players want wahab to do the same job for their side.that's the hypocrisy of the cricket world on sledging.
G
Guest
It's not cool to criticise non-Australian cricketers, and besides, what are the outraged elitists going to label Riaz as when noone knows the Pakastani word for "bogan"? When Virat Kohli abused the Indian journalist for no reason, this was just a small bit of news, yet if this was Dave Warner he'd have been lynched! As you've said Australia don't get involved in match fixing and ball tampering, yet they are horrible meanies for getting excited and enjoying some banter. It is sour grapes from people that don't like the Aussie cricket team, and if they want to get upset every time the boys win then good luck to them, I for one really enjoyed it when they won the World Cup again. And the Ashes. And the Border-Gavaskar trophy. Oh and the Mandela Trophy and let's not forget Frankie Worrell! And the multiple meaningless ODI series. One last thing- the Kiwis and most of their supporters have been good about it, it's more the do-gooders that are upset as Warnie calls them.
dasilva
Guest
Actually Steve Waugh admitted that he just said that Gibbs just cost their team the match However Steve Waugh also said that he wished he thought of "dropping the world cup" sledge
Johnny Boy Jnr
Guest
As soon as the Kiwi crowds stop boing opposition kicks at goal (which shamefully has now inspired other crowds) then I will petition the ACB to remove sledging. Kiwi rugby crowds are appalling and the nation really needs to deal with this situation or risk unabated hypocrisy